This DP-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe core data concepts. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company stores customer transaction data in Azure Blob Storage. They need to query the data using SQL-based tools without moving the data. Which Azure service should they use?
Azure SQL Database
Why wrong: Requires data to be loaded into the database, not queried in place.
Azure Analysis Services
Why wrong: Used for semantic models, not direct query over Blob Storage.
Azure Cosmos DB
Why wrong: NoSQL database, not for SQL queries over Blob Storage.
Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool
Allows querying data in Blob Storage using T-SQL without moving it.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool
Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool allows you to query data directly from Azure Blob Storage using T-SQL without moving or copying the data. It uses a pay-per-query model and supports reading common file formats like Parquet, CSV, and JSON, making it ideal for ad-hoc querying over data lakes.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Azure SQL Database
Why it's wrong here
Requires data to be loaded into the database, not queried in place.
Azure Analysis Services
Why it's wrong here
Used for semantic models, not direct query over Blob Storage.
Azure Cosmos DB
Why it's wrong here
NoSQL database, not for SQL queries over Blob Storage.
Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool
Why this is correct
Allows querying data in Blob Storage using T-SQL without moving it.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool with Azure SQL Database, assuming any 'SQL' service can query external storage, but only Synapse Serverless SQL pool provides native external data querying over Blob Storage without data movement.
Detailed technical explanation
Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool uses a distributed query engine that leverages the OPENROWSET function with BULK operations to read files directly from Azure Blob Storage or Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2. It supports inferring schema from file metadata and can query multiple files in parallel using wildcard paths, enabling efficient data exploration without provisioning any dedicated compute resources.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
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FAQ
Describe core data concepts — This question tests Describe core data concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool — Azure Synapse Serverless SQL pool allows you to query data directly from Azure Blob Storage using T-SQL without moving or copying the data. It uses a pay-per-query model and supports reading common file formats like Parquet, CSV, and JSON, making it ideal for ad-hoc querying over data lakes.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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